The best salespeople don’t just build relationships with customers. They challenge them.
Based on an exhaustive study of thousands of sales reps across multiple industries and geographies, we learned that classic relationship building is a losing approach, especially when it comes to selling complex, large-scale business-to-business solutions. We found that every sales rep in the world falls into one of five distinct profiles, and while all of these types of reps can deliver average sales performance, only one-the Challenger- delivers consistently high performance.
Instead of bludgeoning customers with endless facts and features about their company and products, Challengers approach customers with unique insights about how they can save or make money. They tailor their sales message to the customer’s specific needs and objectives. Rather than acquiescing to the customer’s every demand or objection, they are assertive, pushing back when necessary and taking control of the sale.
The things that make Challengers unique are replicable and teachable to the average sales rep. Once you understand how to identify the Challengers in your organization, you can model their approach and embed it throughout your sales force. The authors explain how almost any average-performing rep, once equipped with the right tools, can successfully reframe customers’ expectations and deliver a distinctive purchase experience that drives higher levels of customer loyalty and, ultimately, greater growth.
The Challenger Sale: 2011
The Challenger Sale hits the shelves and offers sales leaders a new playbook for delivering distinctive purchase experiences that drive higher levels of customer loyalty and greater growth.
The Effortless Experience: 2013
We take our search for truth to the world of customer service and turn conventional wisdom on its head with The Effortless Experience, a fascinating journey on what really makes customers loyal – and disloyal.
The Challenger Customer: 2015
The Challenger Customer delivers a reality check: simply being a Challenger seller isn’t enough; your success or failure also depends on who you challenge. The book introduces insights on identifying and engaging customer stakeholders.
Accolades and Recognition
The Challenger books are globally recognized for their significant contribution to the world of sales, marketing, and customer service leadership thinking, and continue to receive high praise and accolades.
- 2021 – Amazon lists The Challenger Sale as #6 in their Best Sellers in Sales & Selling
- 2020 – Book Authority lists The Challenger Sale and The Challenger Customer on their 100 Best Sales Books of All Time
- 2020 – Rajat Chawla (Top #16 Global CX Influencer) features The Effortless Experience in his list of 30 Best Customer Experience Books You Must Read
- 2020 – Ring DNA lists The Challenger Sale as #7 on their list of The Best Sales Books of All Time
- 2020 – Sales Hacker lists The Challenger Sale (#2) and The Challenger Customer on their list of The 104 Best Sales Books in 2020
- 2019 – LiveHelpNow features The Effortless Experience in their list of 12 Books That Will Turn You Into A Customer Experience Superstar
- 2019 – HubSpot features The Challenger Sale in their list of 17 Must-Read Sales Books for Beginners
- 2019 – Forbe’s features Challenger in “Three Selling Strategies to Empower Your Salespeople”
- 2019 – Smartbug Features Challenger in “7 Sales Enablement Blogs You Should Follow Now”
- 2018 – HubSpot does a standalone piece on The Challenger Sale – A 5-Minute Summary Of “The Challenger Sale” Book Your Boss Told You To Read
- 2018 – Gong.io features The Challenger Sale as #1 and The Challenger Customer as #2 on their list of The 58 Best Sales Books Of All Time (The Ultimate Master List)